2004 Porsche Carrera GT “True to modern race-car practice, the Carrera GT's structure uses a carbon-fiber tub that is lightweight and rigid. The central tub and the front structure are one large unitized molded assembly.” — Car and Driver See More Reviews

2004 Honda S2000 “The S2000's long-hood, short-trunk design places the cockpit well back in the vehicle and creates a 50/50 weight distribution that contributes to its excellent handling.” — MSN Autos See More Reviews

2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG “Mercedes claims the new top, along with improved aerodynamics, endows the CLK cockpit with best-in-class quiet, registering interior noise levels that are hushed by 2 dBA at 100 mph.” — Car and Driver See More Reviews

4.6

5 TIE

2004 Porsche 911 “It still requires a skilled driver to extract its full potential, but even those who only manage to scratch the surface of its vast reserves of performance will be thrilled with the results.” — Edmunds.com See More Reviews

4.6

6

2004 Nissan 350Z “The manual gearbox shifter is delightful to use. It has short, easy throws and the clutch works well with it.” — Carpoint.com See More Reviews

2004 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG “Mercedes has stretched the wheelbase by 1.8 inch, widened the car to carve out some more interior space and then filled it with two seats and a luggage section.” — AutoWeek See More Reviews

4.4

7 TIE

2004 Mercedes-Benz SL600 “Mercedes has stretched the wheelbase by 1.8 inch, widened the car to carve out some more interior space and then filled it with two seats and a luggage section.” — AutoWeek See More Reviews

2004 Lexus SC 430 “Occupants feel some bumps more curtly than expected, but there's no overreaction from the car's firm yet largely yielding suspension.” — Cars.com See More Reviews

4.4

7 TIE

2004 Porsche Boxster “From a practical standpoint, the Boxster is eminently livable. The top can be raised or lowered at a moment's notice, making top-down motoring an easy decision.” — New Car Test Drive See More Reviews

4.4

8

2004 Ford Thunderbird “This Thunderbird is a thoroughly modern luxury roadster that is based on the Lincoln LS and its excellent front-engine, rear-drive platform.” — Car and Driver See More Reviews

Autos.com editors have compiled the most extensive rating database on the internet, drawing upon $20 million of automotive research from CarsDirect and Autodata, and summarizing expert opinion from an extensive group of the leading third party sources. Here is a brief overview of how we do it:

Professional Reviews Ranking: Autos.com editors analyze car reviews from a range of magazines and websites, distill each down to a quantifiable ranking and then average those rankings to arrive at the Professional Review Rank.

Other Rankings: Autos.com also ranks vehicles based on criteria such as fuel efficiency, cargo capacity, and comfort and convenience features. You can see some of the data that we have used to rate each vehicle in any given category by expanding the category header on the vehicle detail page. For example, click on the arrow next to "Passenger Space" on the Honda Civic detail page to see the actual measurements for that vehicle's interior. These measurements were stacked up against the interior measurements of all the other vehicles in the compact car segment in order to calculate the Honda Civic's rating in the Passenger Space category. That rating is then used to determine the Honda Civic's overall ranking in the compact car category.